GOP slams Frankel for Catalfumo contribution

Democratic congressional candidate Lois Frankel‘s exploitation of Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West‘s dust-up with Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is “quite disturbing,” a GOP spokeswoman says, because one of Frankel’s heavyweight donors was once accused — and found not guilty — of beating his ex-fiancee.

The National Republican Congressional Committee accused Frankel of accepting “tainted dollars” after political blogger Peter Schorsch of SaintPetersblog.com decried the “horrible irony” of Frankel suggesting West contribute to a battered women’s shelter when Frankel had accepted $5,000 in campaign cash from developer Dan Catalfumo.

Catalfumo was charged with aggravated battery after ex-fiancee Heather Hill said he pushed her through a picture frame in 2003, requiring her to get 53 stitches in her back and arm and five staples to close a gash in her head. Catalfumo said Hill fell through the frame.

A jury acquitted Catalfumo in a headline-grabbing 2005 trial.

Said Frankel: “This campaign is about me and Allen West and our country. I am very proud of my record standing up, in this case, for women on these issues….This is going to be Lois Frankel vs. Allen West and it’s not going to be about our contributors.”